


whether we have weapons or whether we have none

by YunaDragneel



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Everyone is out to hunt bats, Gotham is a warzone, Multi, hopelessness, lots of death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 07:21:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5699884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YunaDragneel/pseuds/YunaDragneel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Screaming for his death like bloodhounds. What had they all done so wrong? They had given everything to protect the people. To help and save them. And yet… and yet they were chasing them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	whether we have weapons or whether we have none

**Author's Note:**

> Listen to Never Surrender - Extreme Music; if that isn't enough then after that listen to Tonight - FM Static; if you liked it maybe shoot me a message on tumblr, link is on my profile

Breathless he kept on running, jumping, fleeing from the crowd. From the mob of people chasing him. He didn’t know where the others were. He was alone. At least he hoped they were all okay and safe. They knew. The whole world knew. They were all against them. Pulled a chase to kill them. He stumbled over the ledge of the roof, falling for a moment before he managed to pull his grapple hook, shoot it and safely go to the next roof.

“There he is!!” He heard them cry out. Screaming for his death like bloodhounds. What had they all done so wrong? They had given everything to protect the people. To help and save them. And yet… and yet they were chasing them. Some had been lucky to flee. But not everyone. God why had he been so stupid? Why was he outside? He remembered. He had to find them. Even if he had to search whole Gotham, he needed to find them before it was too late. Even if it killed him, he wanted to see them safe. He couldn’t breathe. Felt like he was suffocating, but he couldn’t afford to stop, to wait and rest even for a moment. His left arm was throbbing painfully from the officer that got a shot at him. His right leg gave out nearly every step, his ankle was broken, but he couldn’t afford to give in to the pain.

“I beg the heavens that you are safe,” he whispered under his short breaths. He wasn’t sure who managed to get out or who died and god his heart constricted under the thoughts. After what had happened to Alfred… Shaking his head he didn’t dare to think further, there was enough as it already was. He entered an abandoned building through a window. He needed a small pause. Catch his breath and continue. The young man heaved, but his stomach was empty, he couldn’t throw up aside from that bit of stomach acid. He was exhausted, taking deep breaths. There was no way out. Barely any way to escape. The tunnels were monitored and no one gets in or out without being noticed. Gotham was a warzone and every person was against the caped crusaders that had protected them for so long. Chaos and Mayhem all around and yet here he was, looking for _them_. He knew Nightwing had made it out – did so long ago when he went to Blüdhaven. Red Hood was safe too, off world with his friends. It reminded him, he needed to say his goodbyes. Had said them to Alfred when the man suffocated on his own blood, when he had died protecting them all. He took the phone he kept with him, dialed Jason’s number. Voice mail picked up. Time ran.

“Todd,” he breathed, “It is me, Damian. I wanted to tell you that this might be the final goodbye. Gotham is a warzone and we are the soldiers. Grayson is safe, do not worry about him. I do not know about Father or Drake or Brown or Cain. I do not know.” His voice cracked. “I might not make it out alive. Pennyworth died protecting us, giving us time for a get-away.” He sobbed. “I am sure Drake and Father will get out alive, they are smart.” The mob was screaming in the background, yelling for his death, for every caped crusaders’ death. “Goodbye… Jason. I sincerely wish you the best. Do not come back to Gotham. Never.” He ended the voice mail, put the phone back into his utility belt, and climbed through the window, back onto the roof. He needed to go. Find Cassandra and Stephanie. Couldn’t give in, couldn’t stop for another second. His ankle hurt, giving out more times than he wanted. A thud in front of him made him stop, his eyes widening.

“Damian,” Tim breathed, taking a step forward, his legs giving out. Damian rushed forwards, caught him.

“Drake, oh god…” He felt the blood seep into his uniform. Tim’s blood. “Drake, talk to me. I beg you.” He held the Red Robin tight, clung onto him as if his life depended on him. Tim hugged him, balling his fists in Damian’s cape, holding onto him. A sob wrecked him, let Tim break.

“I’m so sorry. Bruce… Bruce didn’t make it,” Tim cried, buried his face in Damian’s shoulder, “I didn’t mean to get him killed. I’m sorry Damian, I’m so sorry.” Damian kept his face even, although he wished to just break.

“Shh, Timothy,” Damian pet his head, held him close, “It was not your fault. Father chose to protect you.” He didn’t stop crying and Damian honestly couldn’t blame him. Tim wasn’t weak. He had been strong up until this moment. He broke when everything was lost. “We need to keep moving. Let’s find Stephanie and Cassandra.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t move, I’m─” Damian clutched him tighter.

“Do not worry. I will carry you with me.” Without further warning, Damian let go, turning in their position so Tim could cling to his back. “Come on. Get your arms around my neck, I will get us out of here.” Tim moved slow, wrapping his arms around Damian’s neck, holding on tight. Damian grabbed his thighs and hoisted him up. A small noise of discomfort resounded from Tim, but otherwise there was nothing.

“Damian, I’m too heavy for─” Tim’s protest was weak, but Damian didn’t care. He would get Tim out of Gotham, no matter the cost. Where was that stupid superhuman boyfriend of his? Where was Kon? Not in Gotham anyways.

“No! I can still carry you.” Damian’s voice gave more away than he wanted. It gave away how scared he was. He lost his father, the person he dared to call his grandfather and he didn’t want to imagine what happened to Stephanie and Cassandra. He needed to believe they were alright. “I will not leave you. Please do not stop talking to me. Recite the periodic table or I don’t know. Just talk to me.”

“Will do, babybat… Thank you…” And so he began to recite the periodic table as Damian began to move. The extra weight on his broken ankle made it hard, but he had to go on. He wouldn’t leave Tim behind. Damian concentrated on moving forward, making jumps he knew he would be able to make even with Tim on his back, rarely using his grapple line to get further. The young man fell countless times, leg giving out and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. He didn’t have the time to tape it up, to stabilize it.

“You should leave me behind.” It was a quiet whisper from Tim, but Damian pretended to not have heard it. “It’s my fault Bruce died─”

“I’m proud of you Tim. You’re my son, I won’t let anything happen to you,” Damian replied, mimicking Bruce’s voice. It was perfect. Believable. “You did everything you could. I couldn’t have asked for a better son.” Damian tried hard not to let his voice crack. He needed to lessen Tim’s guilt using Bruce’s voice. Knowing he was dead… it was like a punch to the face.

“For a second I believed it was Bruce,” Tim muttered, tightening his grip on Damian a little, as if squeezing him for a hug. “Thank you… can I… Can I hear Alfred’s voice?” The younger man nodded.

“Master Timothy, I shall remind you that your breakfast is waiting for you downstairs. I do not want to see you working so early in the morning.” It took every ounce of control for Damian to keep on talking. But he did it for Tim.

“You have such talent… You could have been a great voice actor if things had turned out differently.” He paused for quite some time. “I’m sorry I’m deadweight. Your ankle is broken and yet you still carry me with you.”

“I decided to do this, Timothy,” Damian responded, his voice his own again, “I… I will not leave you behind.” There was silence for a few minutes.

“What did we do to deserve this…?”

“We did not do anything wrong. Humans are ungrateful, it is within our nature.” Damian jumped to the next roof, catching his breath for a moment.

“I hope Jason and Dick are safe…”

“I sent Jason a voice mail, saying my goodbyes and telling him not to come back to Gotham.”

“Smart move. I’m proud of you Damian. You’re doing everything you can…” Tim’s voice was quiet, as if he was too tired to talk.

“It will be alright. We can get out of Gotham, look for a new home. Or you can live with the Titans.” Damian didn’t want to believe that this could be the end for Tim. “Your superpowered boyfriend will surely take you to Kansas too. You have options.” He was quiet for a moment. “As for me… I might return to Nanda Parbat. There is no other place for me.”

“What about Cass and Steph?” Tim paused, taking deep breaths. “You have another place. With me. You’re my little brother… I still want to be your family.” Damian’s heart constricted painfully.

“You will forever be my family,” Damian responded, “My older brother.” Tears were flowing over his cheeks freely and Damian tried to compose himself. “As for Cassandra and Stephanie, I will take them with me, or they shall do what they want. I want to give them options, I love them too much to force them to come with me.”

“I see…” The people chasing them got louder, closer and Damian needed to get a move on.

“Hold on tight, Timothy. We will be out of Gotham soon.”

*

He had gotten to the outskirts of Gotham with no sign of Stephanie or Cassandra. Though the angry mob of people had become less dense and he could take a moment to breathe.

“Timothy, we are on the outskirts. We can make it out alive,” he whispered. But the silence engulfing him was strong─ he listened. Heard his own heartbeat, his own breathing. Nothing from Tim. Slowly he turned his head to look at the brother he had been carrying. Looking at the corpse he had dragged through the city all towards the outskirts. “Timothy?” His voice broke. “Please, talk to me.” Nothing. “Timothy please. You─ you cannot─ no please…” Damian trembled, when he got no reaction out of Tim. “You can’t be dead.” Damian’s voice caved as sobs escaped his throat. “Please Tim, I need you. Don’t leave me alone. I beg you.” But Tim’s eyes remained closed. He looked peaceful, maybe more peaceful than he ever had. The angry mob was closing in. Damian didn’t have the heart to leave the corpse behind. Had come so far, wouldn’t leave his dead brother behind.

And again he fled. Closer to the outskirts, closer to getting out alive. A shadow beside him made him aware that someone was there with him, he stopped, looking at the person. Black Bat, Cassandra Cain. A choked sob escaped him as he saw her almost unharmed.

“Cassandra─” He stopped, taking deep breaths.

“Tim?” She looked at the corpse Damian had on his back and Damian wailed.

“He is dead. I was not able to save him. I did not have the heart to leave him behind either,” Damian sobbed, his body shaking. Cass ran her hands through his hair, soothingly.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Stephanie will meet us outside.”

“She made it?” For a moment Damian looked hopeful.

“Not yet.” And the despair was back. He wasn’t even sure how Steph was able to make it through the city. “Continue.” Cass pointed in the direction where they’d have to run to get out. There was a part they had to walk on the streets. Police were patrolling around, there was no saying they would make it out alive. Ever since Gordon had been killed, the police shot them all on sight.

Damian and Cass moved through the shadows, trying to stay hidden. But it didn’t go as planned. Whilst moving, Damian’s leg gave out and he tumbled to the ground, alerting the people of their presence. All bets were off and they decided to just run. Never look back, just run and get the hell out. They had no idea what was ahead of them.

On the middle of the street was a person clad in purple and black, laying motionlessly on the ground in a pool of blood. Stephanie. Damian didn’t want to believe it, but it was true. There was Stephanie, dead. They couldn’t even stop to pick up her corpse, because the police shot at them. A bullet clipped his leg, but Damian kept moving. Moving until he was close to freedom. A thud made him look back, in time to see Cassandra falling. Blood. Blood everywhere. More bullets were shot through her, making sure she would stay down. And Damian ran, with Tim still on his back.

*

He had hid in a forest. Waiting. Catching his breath. Evading. Never getting caught. Had made it out alive. His body had. But inside he died. But he continued on. Maybe he could at least bury Tim. Last honor. Resting his body. Damian heard a crack, a twig broke. Looking around he couldn’t see anyone. So he turned back to his route and was greeted with a gun between his eyes.

“This is the end for you, Robin,” the nameless police officer said. “I know you helped out a lot, but… Orders from the chief. I’m sorry. I wish this wouldn’t have to end like this.” His hand trembled. Damian knew he was feeling sorry. That it was genuine.

“I wish so too,” Damian replied, voice devoid of any emotion, “I had everything taken from me in the span of one night. I have nothing left to lose.” The officer moved back a bit, seemingly taken aback. He clicked the safety off. Waited. Robin didn’t move.

*

*

*

_Bang._


End file.
